6 Drinks You Haven't Made With Your Nespresso Yet (But Should)

The world of Nespresso is vast, multi-layered, and edgy, with coffees from across the globe and seemingly endless pods of espressos, ristrettos, single origin coffees, barista creations, and rare blends in the Reviving Origins collection. It could take months to try them all — before Nespresso restarts and reinvents the parade of flavors marching toward your kitchen. If that's not enough to satisfy the java proclivities of most humans, there's another level to explore: the ever-evolving potential for creative coffee drinks made with your Nespresso machine. 

You could start experimenting on your own, but hit-and-miss isn't always ideal, especially when you want a special treat for your clan or yourself. That's why we've put together a list of six delectable Nespresso-based coffee drinks you may not have yet tried. As deeply rich and luscious as they are, it's easy to be intimidated by making them at home — but it's much easier than you'd imagine. Plus, diving off the deep end with new ideas is what makes us all masters of the culinary game. In that vein, here are some Nespresso drinks to satisfy the coffee-explorer within. All are tried, tested, and approved by devoted coffee connoisseurs, including some from the Nespresso team itself. 

Nespresso's Brown Sugar Spiced Oat Latte drink features the new Nespresso Oatly Barista Edition Coffee Capsules, introduced at the end of January 2025. The coffee comes from Arabica beans originating in Nicaragua and El Salvador, and the pod concept is a collaboration between Nespresso and Oatly, the well-known makers of plant-based oat milk. The coffee, when combined as intended with oat milk, presents with strong cereal notes and hints of sweetness. 

The Oatly Barista Edition Coffee Capsules are double espresso-sized pods for Nespresso's Vertuo line of coffees and machines, meaning they're designed to express 2.7 fluid ounces into your cup. That's a pretty concentrated amount of java, but no worries; you'll be balancing it with some tasty, creamy ingredients. First is the oat milk, which is ideally the compatible Oatly Barista Edition milk, available online and in major grocery venues. Of the 13 barista milks tested for lattes by Tasting Table, this one topped our list. You'll need to warm and froth 4 to 6 ounces of the milk and set it aside. 

Place a mug under your Nespresso machine, and add about an ounce of spiced brown sugar syrup, such as from the Monin brand, plus a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Then add the frothed milk, stir, and brew the pod of coffee directly into the mug. If desired, reserve some frothed milk for topping the drink, along with a bit of extra cinnamon sugar. It's worth noting that you could make your own spiced syrup by heating brown sugar, water, and cinnamon until dissolved. 

The idea for this Latte Macchiato Mojito drink makes its way to us from Nespresso, with the original drink calling for a Grand Crus Dharkan capsule generally unavailable or sold out in the United States. However, Nespresso offers plenty of stand-in coffees that are equally compatible with the minty magic of this refreshing iced drink. We recommend a pod with a high intensity similar to Darkhan, such as the Ristretto Intenso or Diavolitto. 

This icy mojito has two twists right off the bat: It does contain coffee and it doesn't have alcohol. Feel free to splash in some rum for a boozy rendition. In addition to the Nespresso coffee, you'll need some milk and Monin Green Mint Syrup or another generic mint syrup, which is commonly available as a cocktail mixer. Start by placing about 1.5 ounces of mint syrup into a tall glass (and rum if desired). Brew the Nespresso pod into a separate container, add ice, and set aside. Next, you'll make some cold foam using at least a cup of milk and a Nespresso Aeroccino frother, or a similar version with a cold-froth setting. 

Now it's time for the grand finale. Assemble the drink by first adding the cold-foam milk to the glass of mint syrup, preferably using the method of gently pouring it over an upside-down spoon for wider dispersion. Then pour the cold coffee (sans the ice) over the entire mixture. Garnish with some extra cold foam and mint leaves. 

Ah, tiramisu, the splurge-worthy Italian dessert that transports your heart to the streets of Northeastern Italy, where it reportedly sprang from the culinary genius of a pastry chef at a Treviso restaurant. Little did chef Roberto Linguanotto know that a coffee company from Sweden would someday create a ristretto/espresso pod worthy of pairing with his beloved tiramisu dessert. That's exactly what happens with this Tiramisu Cappuccino drink featuring Nespresso's Il Cafe Vertuo pod or the Original-line Venezia capsule.  

Il Cafe is deeply roasted to intensity level 11, yet carries smooth, velvety taste that enhances other unexpected ingredients. It's relatively rare to find a drink with mascarpone cheese, but that's what you're making here. It also calls for chocolate sauce, and crumbled Speculoos spice cookies, available in many supermarkets and online venues. These ginger and cinnamon spiced cookies are the national "biscuit" of Belgium, and you may recognize them under the common Lotus Biscoff brand name.

This layered beauty comes together in a tall glass with a thin bottom coating of chocolate sauce, spread over with an equal amount, roughly two tablespoons, of mascarpone cheese. The next layer is about half a cup of cold frothed milk, followed by the Il Cafe or Venezia Nespresso brewed right over it all. With any remaining room in the glass, spoon some extra frothed milk as a final layer, and top with some crunchy crumbled spice cookies. It's not a classic tiramisu dessert, but it's a very good liquid interpretation of one.

How could any roundup of beloved drinks exclude a martini? Not on our watch and not on our list. But we do slip in a substantial alteration, or two, from a minimalist classic martini: espresso, coffee liqueur, and a certain type of vodka. Though you may have experienced a coffee-infused martini before, this Nespresso Martini is a creamy dreamy version featuring your choice of espresso blends from the Vertuo or Original lineup. 

Espresso blends from Nespresso deliver 1.35 ounces as a single shot or 2.7 ounces as a double shot. Either one works just fine, and plenty of Nespresso candidates lay ready and waiting. The company suggests using the full-bodied, bold Vertuo Altissio or the Original Firenze Arpeggio with fruity and cocoa notes. Each weighs in with a level-nine intensity for a strong espresso presence in your martini. Then comes the short ride into martini transformation — shaken, not stirred.  

Simply grab a cocktail shaker, preferably pre-chilled, and toss in the brewed espresso from a Nespresso capsule or pod. Add up to 2 ounces of Kahlua Coffee Liqueur, or any other brand, per preference. Then stir in a roughly equal amount of Smirnoff Flavored Vodka in vanilla. Shake it all together with ice, and strain into a martini glass, available from Nespresso in a diamond-fluted design. Now that you know the general process, experiment with your own ideas for elevating your espresso martini to next-level goodness.

With this dessert/drink, Nespresso opens up the world of deeply intense ristretto coffee — but with a decidedly cool, sweet touch. It's a take on the Italian affogato, which in its simplest form is just espresso poured over ice cream. But this Ristretto Intenso Hazelnut Lemon Affogato does a nutty citrus dance inside that cute little bowl, which un-coincidentally is available in a set of two on the Nespresso website. The ingredients are no secret, as they appear right there in the name.  

The star of this sweet show is Ristretto Intenso coffee from Nespresso, which is similar to espresso but even more concentrated, recommended to be taken at 0.85 ounces into your cup from a Vertuo pod. The Ristretto also rates 12 on the intensity scale, one of the highest levels in the collection. That's exactly what you want in an ice-cream dessert/drink, as it balances and complements the otherwise sweet and nutty flavor of the second starring ingredient: hazelnut ice cream. 

This one is pretty simple to create: Just place of scoop of hazelnut ice cream into a rounded glass or a dedicated affogato cup, and then brew a capsule or pod of ristretto directly over it. As intended, the ice cream begins to slide into the coffee — thus the name "affogato," which is the Italian word for "drowned." Grate some fresh lemon peel over the top, and dust with grated hazelnut. There are many barista-approved ways to upgrade an affogato, but this one's definitely worth trying. 

If you've never considered putting turmeric in a latte, brush off any cobwebbed preconceptions and reach for that powdery golden-orange spice. Since the active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, you might even get an antioxidant boost with this Turmeric Latte drink. Besides that, it's just a tasty combination when turmeric meets Nespresso coffee. It takes about five minutes to prepare, using just four ingredients: a Nespresso pod, turmeric syrup, milk, and turmeric powder. 

This drink requires a tall glass capable of holding at least 12 ounces. That's because, if you have a Vertuo machine, you'll ideally be using a Melozio pod, which dispenses a comparatively large amount of coffee compared to other pods. Plus, it gets joined by 6 ounces of hot, frothed milk and an ounce of turmeric syrup, available online (such as the Monin Golden Turmeric Syrup) or in stores as a premium cocktail syrup.

Go ahead and froth the milk using a hot setting on the frother, and set aside. Place the turmeric syrup in the bottom of the glass, followed by the frothed milk, and then brew the capsule right on top of it all. Scatter some ground, powdery turmeric across the top for visual appeal, but also for that little burst of curcumin. Note that if you have an Original Nespresso machine, a good capsule to use is the Volluto with its mellow, nutty, sweet-biscuit profile. It dispenses as an espresso-style drink, meaning the volume will be lower than if you use the Vertuo Melozio pod.